Macca Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) Having viewed the obvious 'carnage' to the anvil, what would be the prescribed means to bring this bad boy back up to some sorta standard? Edited June 13, 2015 by Macca Me and 'Apple' don't mix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevan Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I don't actually see too much wrong with it. Using it, will probably improve it somewhat. Clearly "carnage" is in the eye of the beholder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Don't touch the anvil! There's nothing wrong with that anvil, and the few dings and dents in the surface will probably wear out as you forge on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 best way to fix it is to use it as it should be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Put it to work, there's nothing to repair, the edges aren't even chipped a little bit. Do NOT fall into the common mistake of thinking you need a pristine anvil. These are hard working tools not trophies. What dings are in the face will work out under hot steel and a hammer. For the few times you'll need a smooth face it's easy to make up a bottom tool with a polished face and nice sharp edges with a shank to fit the hardy hole or flanges to act as a saddle.Trying to grind that face will thin it and shorten it's life and utility. In short do more damage than good.If you really want a pristine show piece anvil find a cast iron Chinese anvil and shine it up for display. That might actually be something they're good for.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Frosty, that really would be polishing a xxxx!If you really want a pristine show piece anvil find a cast iron Chinese anvil and shine it up for display. That might actually be something they're good for.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Absolutely no carnage there! I'd call that very good condition based on just the one upside-down pic. Grinding could soften the thin hard surface, shorten it's life, or wreck it totally depending on how deep you grind. Don't grind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Paul Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 If you really wanted to clean it up some, a little bit of sand paper and maybe a sanding block to soften the edges on some of the hammer strikes would probably do. But from the photo it does not seem to be bad at all, the round horn end of the face seems to be pretty smooth. That is a nice anvil though. I like that style. Have you done any forging on it yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 If 3rd world blacksmiths can make everything they need on a 4xx4 block of steel or a sledge hammer head, then you are way ahead in the game with 2 (two) horns and a real anvil. Make it your primary anvil Should take 8-10 hours of pounding hot iron to shine up the face. Use it for a year and get back to us and tell us what problems you are having along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Cheers for the info guys. Just wasn't too sure if I am to put the anvil to 'work' that I wasn't just putting 'lipstick on a pig'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 That there critter is no pig, lol. That little lady has a bit of grey and a laghf line ar three. Honer her buy asking her to dance hot steel with you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I concur with all the replies here. No 'repair' necessary. That anvil has everything you need - a good sharp edge, well radiused edges, neat hardy hole, good flat surface by the looks of it ... what more do you need? It will relish a bit of work and do you proud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Right, just gunna set the height right, you can see by my 'dodgy' photo that I'm sorta doing that. Set for knuckle height,but reading about that mighten be right. Set-up for waist height seems the go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 easer to bend your knees than get a step stool. Hand open to the first knuckle for strikers and tooling, to the closed fist for hand forging and rist for fine work. Now as ones arm lenght is not consistent to hight, it is still best to test with a peice of 1/2" ply (2x if you plan on using it with a sledge). As you get better your anvil hight will drop, lol. 32" is ideal for hand forging for me, started at 34", but I can forge on a 30" just by bending my knees slightly (and a 2" squat, and rist flick can realy ad to the energy in a strike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Copy that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 The most important thing to remember about positioning the anvil is make it comfortable for YOU. You can adjust for a little imperfection in height but you don't want to be compensating very much or often. A lot now and then may not be as bad as a little all the time.What you're working on most often makes a difference, the thicker the material the higher the hammer will be impacting but if you're doing mostly fine work then impact is lower. A fellow forging blades will like a higher anvil than one forging hammers.Many years ago I came into a barber's chair and tried the pedestal as a hammer stand. I could raise lower or turn it as needed but it wasn't solid enough by a long shot so I sold it to a guy who wanted a barber's chair in his den. There's nothing wrong with experimenting taking suggestions, etc. just don't get locked into something is THE right thing. Sometimes the best sounding ideas are duds any way you tweak them.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 What I want to achieve is the 'process' of being a blacksmith. I'm more interested in the actual act itself. Being a boilermaker I now want to approach my trade with more understanding of metallurgy. Without going all new age wank of 'a holistic approach'. So, be prepared for lots of newbie dumba$$ questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Uh, "achieve the process of being" is kind of new agey I think. Joking aside blacksmithing is about doing more than most things. Sure you have to think but worrying about metallurgy, austentitic, martensitic, and all the other. itics is for a little later. When teaching I show folk how to work the tools and read the material under the hammer. Learning the specifics of tool steels is for later, not a lot later but not to start with.Get your anvil set up, build your forge and other kit. Keep it mobile to start so you can adjust position for how you work and what you're doing. The more you work it the stronger your skills sets get and the more muscle memory tells you about positioning, etc.Probably the most important thing to learn is to listen to the steel. Every blow, bend, file stroke, etc. it will talk to you. It will speak through the hammer, tongs and your ears more than your eyes. Your eyes are the final arbiter of what you're working for but your other senses will hear and feel the steel so you'll know it.Once you can hear the steel's song learning the more specialized skills of the craft come much more easily, forging a blade is no big thing if you speak steel, it's speaks the same language but a different dialect. Learn the language before you try mastering dialects.Blacksmithing can be very meditative, when in the zone I'm in an altered state of consciousness I let my reflexes control the tools and listen to the steel while my conscious mind is visualizing the steel flowing. A small part of me is all it takes to direct the machine to make the shape I want.You can't do that till you've built the reflexes, till you understand the steel on a subconscious level. Once you're there what your forging is less important, you'll have the muscle memory and reflexes to adjust as you go.Strive to learn to draw an even temper without trying. When you can say to yourself I want this taper that long and just do it, you'll be on the road. It's ALL basics, just basics.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 You will soon find that more than one "anvil" will be in use. If you forge heavy stock, and set your anvil low you will soon have a block that fits the hardy for mediun work as well as a stake for fine work. Or you may find that you build a "striking anvil" for heavy work and a "post anvil" for fine work. Wile your "working anvil" is at a hight in-between. No one said you only can have one.start out at about wrist high (you will start out playing with less than 1/4-1/2" stock) this helps you see what is going on. Than as you get confertable moving the stock move the anvil down to fist high. This is a good place for most of us. Sa you advace if you find your using a lot of heavy stock, and/or a lot of top and bottom tools then move on down to the first knuckle. I have 2 anvils I work with regularly, my shop anvil is at fist high (150 farriers anvil) and truck anvil is set at rist high (farriers anvills are primaraly "turning anvils" as such they have a lot of mass in their horns and heels making heavy forging a bit tricky especialy with tooling).this works well for me as building shoes is kind of detailed work, fullering, nail pinching, scrolling, flataning and adusting to fit the hoofs conformation.I do most of my "playing" (general forging) on the shop anvil. I need to invest in a anvil for heavy work, as I have a brand of crazy that draws me to heaver stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 (edited) Its going to be tough to use that thing upside-down hanging from the wall like that. Getting it turned over is the only repair I see needed :-) Edited June 14, 2015 by monstermetal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Now why so negitive, Monster?! He paid for it, shouldnt he have an opertunity to use the whole thing? Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 maybe its an anti gravity anvil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Re: the 'artistic' photo. Well, the truth be known, the cook took the photo on her Ipad thingy thing thing due to me being sans PC due to a virus.That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it> As to the purchase price...it was a freebie, (how good is that!), Doing a demobe on a mining site, came across it 'stashed' amongst stuff getting turfed into a scrap metal bin. I rescued it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 (edited) GOOD SAVE! We're getting used to I products interpretation of up but it's fun to tweak the poster anyway. Out of curiosity, were you able to "salvage" other tools, stock, etc.? I used to mine the scrap bin at work regularly.Frosty The Lucky. Edited June 14, 2015 by Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 (edited) Re: the 'artistic' photo. Well, the truth be known, the cook took the photo on her Ipad thingy thing thing due to me being sans PC due to a virus.You're in Australia right? And that's why THEY are seeing it 'upside down' no sense anywhere these days! Edited June 14, 2015 by ianinsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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